Low-Calorie Baked Beans

The variety of baked beans on a supermarket shelf can be overwhelming. From original baked beans, baked beans with brown sugar or maple syrup, to beans with bacon, maple-cured bacon, or bourbon, and country-style or vegetarian baked beans, there are lots of choice. While the beans themselves are high in fiber and good for you, the sauce is often high in sugar and sodium. 

Making baked beans yourself allows you to control the amount of fat, salt, and sugar that goes into this popular American side dish. And it’s easier than you may think.

Instead of the salt pork or pork bacon used in other baked bean recipes, this variation uses turkey bacon, a low-fat alternative to pork bacon, and smoked paprika. Turkey bacon, just like pork bacon, comes in different flavors, such as applewood, cherrywood, or hickory-smoked. Your choice of turkey bacon lets you create your own individual flavor of baked beans. 

For the beans, you can use either navy beans or Great Northern beans. Both have a mild flavor but navy beans are smaller and turn creamy when cooked. Great northern beans are larger and their flesh is firmer, so they hold their shape better than navy beans. 

Using canned beans is convenient but if you want to really make baked beans from scratch, start with dried beans. 

For a cookout or potluck, the recipe can be easily doubled or tripled. 

Some people find baked beans even tastier reheated than freshly cooked. The best way to reheat them so they won’t dry out is to reheat them in the oven in a covered dish at 350 F for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. 

Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for two to three days.